Lesson 1

Southeast Asia

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Understand the geographical differences between the mainland region and the insular region.

2. Summarize how the region was colonized. Learn how colonial activities influence each country’s cultural

situation.

3. Realize how the physical geography has been influenced by tectonic activity.

4. Outline the main ethnic and religious affiliations of Southeast Asia and explain why they are so diverse.

5. Comprehend the impact and influence of the overseas Chinese in the region.

Identifying the Boundaries

The region between China, India, Australia, and the Pacific Ocean is known as Southeast Asia.
Southeast Asia includes countries with political boundaries creating many shapes and sizes.
The political borders were created through a combination of factors, including natural
features, traditional tribal distinctions, colonial claims, and political agreements. The realm
also has the fourth-most populous country in the world, Indonesia. Southeast Asia is a region
of peninsulas and islands. The only landlocked country is the rural and remote country of Laos,
which borders China, Vietnam, and Thailand. The physical geography of Southeast Asia
includes beaches, bays, inlets, and gulfs. The thousands of islands and remote places allow
refuge for a wide variety of cultural groups and provide havens for rebellious insurgents,
modern-day pirates, and local inhabitants.

Southeast Asia can be divided into two geographic regions. The mainland portion, which is
connected to India and China, extends south into what has been called the Indochina
Peninsula or Indochina, a name given to the region by France. This mainland region consists of
the countries of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar (Burma). This region has
been influenced historically by India and China. The islands or insular region to the south and
east consist of nations surrounded by water. The countries in this region include Malaysia,
Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, East Timor, and the Philippines.

Physical Geography

The islands and the mainland of Southeast Asia include a wide array of physical and cultural
landscapes. The entire realm is located in the tropics except the northernmost region of
Burma (Myanmar), which extends north of the Tropic of Cancer. A tropical Type A climate
dominates the region and rainfall is generally abundant. The tropical waters of the region help
moderate the climate. Southeast Asia is located between the Indian Ocean on the west and
the Pacific Ocean on the east. Bordering the many islands and peninsulas are various seas,
bays, straits, and gulfs that help create the complex maritime boundaries of the realm. The
South China Sea is a major body of water that acts as a separator between the mainland and
the insular region. The thousands of islands that make up the various countries or lie along
their coastal waters create a matrix of passageways and unique physical geography.

The three longest rivers of the realm, Mekong, Red, and Irrawaddy, are located on the
mainland and have their headwaters in the high elevations of Himalayan ranges of China. The
Mekong River makes its way from the high Himalayas in China and helps form the political
borders of Laos and Thailand on its way through Cambodia to Vietnam where it creates a giant
delta near Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The Red River flows out of China and through Hanoi to
the Red River delta on the Gulf of Tonkin. The Irrawaddy River flows through the length of
Burma providing for the core area of the country. Another major river of the mainland is the
Chao Phraya of Thailand. With its many tributaries, the Chao Phraya creates a favorable core
area that is home to the largest population of the country. Many other rivers can be found on
both the mainland and the insular region. The rivers transport water and sediments from the
interior to the coasts, often creating large deltas with rich soils that are major agricultural
areas. Multiple crops of rice and food products can be grown in the fertile river valleys and
deltas. The agricultural abundance is needed to support the ever-increasing populations of the
realm.

Tectonic plate activity has been responsible for the existence of the many islands and has
created the mountainous terrain of the various countries. High mountain ranges can have
peaks that reach elevations of over fifteen thousand feet. The high-elevation ranges of New
Guinea, which are along the equator, actually have glaciers, ice, and snow that remain year-
round. The island of Borneo, in the center of the insular region, is actually a segment of
ancient rock that has been pushed upward by tectonic forces to form a mountainous land
mass. The mountains on Borneo have been worn down over time by erosion. Mountains and
highlands stretch across the northern border of the realm along the borders with India and
China. The interior nature of this border makes it less accessible. Similar dynamics can be
found in the interior of the islands of the insular region, where the isolation and remoteness
have helped create the environmental conditions for unique flora and fauna. In the highland
areas the human cultural landscape can be diverse. Time and isolation have worked together
to form the traditions and cultural ways that give local groups their identity and heritage.
Tectonic activity makes the region vulnerable to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The
volcanic peak of Mt. Pinatubo, in the Philippines, erupted in 1991, spewing ash and smoke into
the atmosphere and impacting much of the planet. An earthquake of 9.0 magnitude occurred
off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra in 2004 and caused widespread disaster
throughout the wider region of the Indian Ocean. As many as one hundred fifty thousand
deaths were reported, mainly from flooding. A thirty-five-foot-high wall of water from the
tsunami devastated many coastal areas from Thailand to India.

Impact of Colonialism

Southeast Asia has not escaped the impact of globalization, both colonial and corporate. As
Europeans expanded their colonial activities, they made their way into Southeast Asia.
Southeast Asia was heavily influenced by European colonialism. The only area of the region
that was not colonized by the Europeans was Thailand, which was called Siam during the
colonial era. It remained an independent kingdom throughout the colonial period and was a
buffer state between French and British colonizers. The Japanese colonial empire controlled
much of Southeast Asia before World War II.

Some of the countries and regions of Southeast Asia became known by their colonial
connection. Indonesia was once referred to as the Dutch East Indies, which was influential in
the labeling of the Caribbean as the West Indies. French Indochina is a term legitimized for
historical references to the former French claims in Southeast Asia. Malaya and British Borneo
each had its own currency based on a dollar unit that was legal tender for the regions of the
Federation of Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak, North Borneo, and Brunei. Independence from the
European powers and freedom from Japanese imperialism by the end of World War II
provided a new identification for the various countries of the realm. Cultural and economic
ties remain between many former colonies and their European counterparts.

Southeast Asia was colonized by Europeans and later by Japan.

East Timor, a former Portuguese colony south of Indonesia, has been the most recent colony
to gain independence. Timor is an island just north of Australia. The western portion is claimed
by Indonesia. The whole island was annexed to Indonesia in 1975. As a result of separatist
movements that entailed conflict and violence, the eastern portion was finally granted
independence in 2002. Since then, East Timor has been working to establish itself as a country
and is now negotiating its offshore boundary to include important oil and gas reserves.

Cultural Introduction

Southeast Asia has a population of more than six hundred million people; more than half the
population lives on the many islands of Indonesia and the Philippines. The small island of Java
in Indonesia is one of the most densely populated places on Earth. More than half of the two
hundred forty-five million people who live in Indonesia live on the island of Java. The island of
Luzon in the Philippines is also one of the more densely populated areas of the insular region.
The Philippines has over one hundred million people, Vietnam has more than ninety million,
and Thailand has about sixty-seven million. Local areas with high food-producing capacity are
also high population centers, which would include deltas, river valleys, and fertile plains.

The ethnic mosaic of Southeast Asia is a result of the emergence of local differences between
people that have evolved into identifiable cultural or ethnic groups. Though there are a
multitude of specific ethnic groups, a number of the larger ones stand out with recognizable
populations. On the mainland the Burmese, Thai, Khmer, and Vietnamese are the largest
groups, coinciding with the physical countries from Burma to Vietnam. A similar situation can
be found in the insular region. Many distinct groups can exist on the many islands of the
region. The island of New Guinea, for example, has hundreds of local groups with their own
languages and traditions. The large number of ethnic groups is dominated by Indonesians,
Malays, and Filipinos, coinciding with the countries of Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
Each of these main groups has many subgroups that hold to their own cultural heritage in the
areas where they exist. The many islands of Indonesia and the Philippines create the
opportunity for diversity to continue to thrive, in spite of the globalization process that
increased the interaction and communication opportunities between groups.

Indonesia is also home to the largest Muslim population in the world. All major religions can
be found here. The Philippine population is predominantly Christian, but there is a minority
Muslim community, including rebel insurgents. Most of people in Malaysia follow Islam. About
95 percent of the people in Thailand and more than 60 percent of the people in Laos are
Buddhist. Hinduism is present in the Indonesian island of Bali and in various other locations in
the region. Animism and local religions can be found in rural and remote areas. Clearly,
Southeast Asia is a mix of many ethnic groups, each with its own history, culture, and religious
preference.

Overseas Chinese

Southeast Asia is also home to over thirty million overseas Chinese—ethnic Chinese who live
outside of China. The Chinese exodus to the realm was the greatest during the last Chinese
dynasties and during the colonial era. European colonial powers enhanced this migration
pattern by leveraging the use of people with Chinese heritage in their governing over the local
populations in the realm. Life has often been difficult for overseas Chinese. The Japanese
occupation of the realm during World War II was a time of harsh discrimination against
Chinese. Japanese occupation and colonialism diminished with the end of World War II. The
overseas Chinese minority retained an economic advantage because of their former colonial
status and their economic connections. Chinatowns emerged in many of the major cities of
Southeast Asia. The discrimination against the Chinese, fueled by religious or socioeconomic
differences, often continued after World War II by the local ethnic majorities. Nevertheless,
overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia have been instrumental in promoting the global business
arrangements that have established the Pacific Rim as a major player in the international
economy.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

 Southeast Asia can be studied by dividing up the realm into two geographic regions: the mainland and the insular

region. The mainland borders China and India and has extensive river systems. The insular region is made up of islands

and peninsulas between Asia and Australia, often with mountainous interiors.

 France and Britain colonized the mainland region of Southeast Asia. Burma was a British colony and the rest was

under French colonial rule. The Japanese took control of the region briefly before World War II ended in 1945. Siam

was the only area not colonized. Siam became the country of Thailand.

 The physical geography of the mainland and the insular region is dominated by a tropical type A climate. Cooler

temperatures may be found in the mountainous regions and more even temperatures ranges can be found along the

coasts. Tectonic plate activity is responsible for the many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that occur in the realm.

 Southeast Asia is ethnically, religiously, and linguistically diverse. A number of major ethnic groups dominate in

the mainland and insular region but are only examples of the multitude of smaller groups that exist in the realm. One

minority group is the overseas Chinese, who immigrated to the realm during the colonial era.